Monday, June 13, 2011

With everyone tightening their belts this summer, vacations closer to home will be what many Northern Californians are planning. Tourism abroad is down ( Japan-Europe's Volcano -Middle East unrest etc..) and "Staycations" will help Californians re-discover the "treasures" here at home.

The world's largest cruise company said it underestimated the financial impact from the prolonged conflicts in the Middle East and North Africa, as well as the earthquake and nuclear disaster in Japan.

Carnival Corp., the parent company to Carnival Cruise Lines, Holland America Line, Princess Cruises, Seabourn, Costa Cruises, and Cunard Line, said those events had resulted in over 300 deployment changes, and will put a bigger dent in the company's earnings this year than it had anticipated.

Since January, several cruise lines have canceled calls in Egypt, Tunisia and Libya following months political unrest and uprising. Some cruise lines have resumed calls to those countries, while others are still holding back. Costa, a major Mediterranean operator, had many cruise itineraries impacted.

Cruise lines including Cunard diverted ships from Japan after a powerful earthquake struck the Northern part of the country in early March.

So it's "Staycations" for many, and this is good news for our local Tourism & Business.

Festival on the Delta

Formerly known as the Crawdad Festival, Isleton will celebrate its Cajun Festival 10 a.m. Saturday June 15 and Sunday 16.

The offerings are many: Blues, Zydeco, Cajun and Southern blues bands on three stages; crawfish and Cajun food; line dancing; street entertainers. Tickets are $10 general, free for children ages 12 and under.